Big 12 Power Rankings: Week 3

There isn’t any secret to be kept, the Big 12 is the nation’s worst power 5 conference. From the fact that no one is ranked in the top 15 of the AP poll, to the wishy-washy stance on conference expansion, the conference has been nothing short of embarrassing. That’s all without mentioning the product on the field that has resulted in a 2-10 record against power 5 opponents and 16-12 record overall. It’s actually difficult to be as awful as the big 12 is, so as ironic as a title of “power” is, here are the Big 12 Power rankings for week 3

1. West Virginia (4)

That’s right; the mountaineers have reached the mountaintop! West Virginia might be the only team in the big 12 that feels somewhat good at this point as they boast an overall 2-0 record. They are coming off a bye week so they are lucky to move up, but you can’t ignore the fact that they have at least beaten a power 5 opponent in Missouri. The Mountaineers tee off this weekend against a potential big 12 expansion team in BYU so you can sort of peg this as a “must pay attention to” game since BYU will be looking to make a statement for their expansion application.

2. Baylor (3)

There isn’t a lot to say about Baylor at this point in the season because they haven’t played anyone. Without Art Briles, the Bears aren’t putting up their normal 70 point scores and 700+ yard performances that we’re used to seeing at this point in the season. However, before sanctions are made on the program, they are undefeated. They begin conference play this week against Oklahoma State and this will be our game of the week here at The Suave Report.

3. Oklahoma State (6)

The cowboys were able to bounce back this past weekend with a win over a physical Pittsburgh team. I’m not sure though if I should say “Wow, they beat Pitt and set a school record” or if I should say “Uh-oh, it took a school record offensive performance to win by a Touchdown.” Nonetheless, I place them at 3 as the Cowboys show off their deep backfield once again, this time with Rennie Childs throwing up 101 yards and 4 TDs in the 45-38 victory. They face a big challenge this weekend as they try to beat Baylor.

4. Texas (1)

Texas showed a similar weakness to the Sooners this week as they have a head coach in Charlie Strong who is a defensive minded coach, yet the defense is the problem. Defensive Coordinator Vance Bedford struggled to stop the California spread attack led by former Texas Tech starter Davis Webb. Webb threw for 396 yards and 4 TDs in the 50-43 victory. I have a lot of respect for Charlie Strong, even though he coaches the worst team in the nation (just personal opinion). With a bye week coming up we will see what kind of adjustments coach Strong can make and if the Longhorns can bounce back.

5. TCU (5)

The horned frogs stay at 5 this week and could even make a case to jump Texas as they are the only team in the conference that is 1-0 in conference play. TCU hasn’t shown their usual discipline and toughness that is expected out of a Gary Patterson defense but maybe when they face a bigger test than Iowa State they will be motivated to step it up. A bigger test like, Oklahoma in two weeks could prove to be the motivation this team needs to start clicking on all cylinders.

6. Kansas State

Kansas State had a bye week after losing to Stanford in week one. They bounced back in a big way with a 63-7 victory. Although the game was against Florida Atlantic, it’s never a good bet to bet against Coach Snyder and his Wildcats. If they look good, they are good. The Wildcats could claim the title of the most physical team in the conference as they are a ground and pound style team, running 54 times for 336 yards and 7 touchdowns. If the Wildcats can clean up the penalties, which I’m sure Snyder will, they could be a major threat in the conference.

7. Oklahoma (2)

Yes the Sooners fall 5 spots this week even though they played a tough Ohio State team. They nearly fell out of the top 7 as Texas Tech continues to grow on their momentum. Besides, it’s safe to say that no one in the Big 12 could beat Ohio State and probably is the case with Houston. Still, Oklahoma desperately needs leadership to step up and the team will need to do serious soul searching if they expect to win the conference title. It’s hard to look at the positives if you’re on this team right now but you lost to two top 10 teams that could finish in the top 5 and no one else in the Big 12 can say that they’ve been tested in that way. The sooners have a bye week to put the loss behind them and make the necessary fixes before their conference opening game against TCU.

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